Whats better balanced or unbalanced XLR cables?

Question

Also, i'm trying to find a high quality XLR female to 1/8 Mini, but all i'm able to find is some cheap HOSA brand. The high quality cables only have XLR female to 1/4!!!

Any ideas? Im attaching to an expensive microphone so I want to make sure there is no weak link. Thanks!

Answer 1

The easy way out is to get a 1/4" to 1/8" adapter. I suggest using a right-angle adapter - I use one to plug my heaphone 1/4" plug into my camcorder.

Correctly made XLR cables and plugs are always balanced.

Beware: This is a lot of weight on the 1/8" plug going into the camcorder. You do not want to break the 1/8" plug in the camcorder's audio-in. Make sure you have a short "tension loop" on the part of the cable going into the camcorder.

If you are THAT concerned about not having a "weak link", then you should consider using an XLR adapter like those from BeachTek or juicedLink. They are expensive, but they also provide additional manual audio control. If you get the ones with an active pre-amp, that sounds WAY better than the camcorder's pre-amp...